SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Project managers from throughout the country converged on Yellowknife last week for a three-day conference at The Explorer Hotel to stay one step ahead in their sector.

Northern Safety Association representatives Sarah Johnson, left, and Nico Todd-Cullen run a booth in the Project Management Conference trade show room on Dec. 5. Johnson and Todd-Cullen attended each day of the three-day conference last week. - Lyndsay Herman/NNSL photo

The 14th biannual Project Management Conference was hosted by the GNWT Department of Public Works and Services in collaboration with the Government of Nunavut, the NWT and Nunavut Construction Association, and corporate partners from Dec. 3 to 5. The event attracted approximately 250 delegates from throughout the North and Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, according to Brian Nagel, director of infrastructure and operations for Public Works.

"It is one of the few opportunities where the public and private sectors can get together face to face and exchange ideas, explore best practices," he said. "We're all working together to build a better North and the more we can communicate and understand each other, the better the product."

Each day of the conference focused on a different aspect of project management, a discipline in which professional organizers manage people and resources to complete management goals. The speaker list featured Steve Ness, president and founder of the Surety Association of Canada, who spoke about construction risk; Paul Kovacs, founder and executive director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction at Western University, who spoke about adapting to climate change; and Calgary architect Tang Gim Lee, who spoke about solar power and improved energy efficiency.

Several presenters have returned for the past four conferences, said Nagel, who has attended all 14 conferences.

"The fundamental issues of project management don't change," he said. "Scope, quality, schedule, budget – all of that stays the same. But some of the issues, like global warming, climate change, different construction technologies, project delivery – we have (public-private partnerships) that we never had before. We like to stay ahead of the curve if we can, so (meeting) every two years allows us to do that."

Public and private sector project managers in Yellowknife do not have to wait two years to mingle and share ideas. The NWT Project Management Group holds regular meetings and professional development lectures.

The group was founded earlier this year by Bob Horton, manager of information systems and technology in the shared service centre for the departments of Environment and Natural Resources and Industry, Tourism and Investment.

- with files from Lyndsay Herman

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